Taking a dose of the oral antibiotic doxycycline after a high-risk sexual encounter has dramatically reduced the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in places where the strategy is being tried.
Despite its effectiveness, the new strategy, known as Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, may come with risks, especially with chronic use. Experts worry about the impact on the community of gut bacteria, also known as the microbiome, and the potential that the antibiotic will give rise to resistant strains of bacteria.
Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis did not have much impact on the overall composition of bacterial communities in gastrointestinal tracts. But scientists noted signs of resistance building against tetracycline, the class of antibiotic that doxycycline belongs to, which could make it less effective.
The study was published in Nature Medicine.
“While doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis did not appear to have global impacts on the gut microbiome, it did have impacts on the antimicrobial resistance of gut bacteria, both in terms of the proportion of tetracycline class resistance genes and the amount that were turned on, or expressed,” said Chaz Langelier, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine in UCSF’s Division of Infectious Diseases and senior author of the paper. “So, it's not totally innocuous.”
Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis involves taking two 100-milligram pills within 72 hours of condomless sex.
Check full updates on Medical Dialogues
Also check out -
Medical Dialogues Academy, a renowned academic wing of Medical Dialogues - India's premier health and news online portal, proudly presents this comprehensive course tailored for healthcare professionals eager to delve into the realm of medical journalism.
🔗 Enroll Today: academy.medica...
📚 Explore More With Us:
📌 Medical Content Writing: academy.medica...
📌 Certificate Course in Pharmaceutical Medico-Marketing: academy.medica...
Join us on this enlightening journey and become a part of a community pushing the boundaries of healthcare communication and reporting.
Get the latest medical and health news at medicaldialogues.in
Follow us on
Twitter: / medicaldialogs
Facebook: / medicaldialogues
Instagram: / medicaldialogues
LinkedIn: / medical-dialogues
Website: medicaldialogu...
4 окт 2024
